Wild Fictions : Essays

Wild Fictions brings together Amitav Ghosh’s extraordinary writings on subjects that have obsessed him over the last twenty-five years: literature and language; climate change and the environment; human lives, travel and discoveries. The spaces that we inhabit, and the manner in which we occupy them, is a constant thread throughout this striking and expansive collection.

From the significance of the commodification of the clove to the diversity of the mangrove forests in Bengal and the radical fluidity of multilingualism, Wild Fictions is a powerful refutation of imperial violence, a fascinating exploration of the fictions we weave to absorb history, and a reminder of the importance of sensitivity and empathy.

With the combination of moral passion, intellectual curiosity and literary elegance that defines his writing, Amitav Ghosh makes us understand the world in new, and urgent, ways. Together, the pieces in Wild Fictions chart a course that allows us to heal our relationships and restore the delicate balance with the volatile landscapes to which we all belong.

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‘We owe a great debt to Ghosh’s brilliant mind, avenging pen and huge soul’ — Naomi Klein

‘Urgent, beautiful and far-reaching . . . it should be essential reading’ — The Times Literary Supplement on The Nutmeg’s Curse

‘Consistently stimulating’ — The Guardian on The Great Derangement

‘He has surpassed many historians in his ability to synthesize a wealth of research with remarkable intellectual clarity’ — The Times on Smoke and Ashes.